Tedrocker and board member Seth Goodman sits down for a nice listening session of The Bevis Frond and offers these great insights into the band, and front man Nick Saloman. Oh how I wish Ted was here to chime in, as he’d have a lot to say about The Bevis Frond. In fact, I’m pretty sure I overheard this same conversation between Seth and Ted many moons ago while “Wild Jack Hammer” was spinning on the turn table…
There really isn’t anyone else like Nick Saloman. This musician’s musician balances between two distinct and often contradictory musical movements and time periods with artistic freedom, grace and flair in his musical outing known as The Bevis Frond. Saloman turned 15 in the summer of 68’ and was at a perfect age to celebrate the musical and cultural revolution of the day. Similarly, he also felt the weight of its loss as the idealism of the movement slipped away as the 60’s became the 70’s. Still young enough to embrace punk rock by the time 1977 hit, his music often laments the loss of the 60’s and sometimes with the bite of the late 70’s, making for this gloriously unlikely musical bridge between generations. It’s as if Saloman simultaneously carved out and inhabited a musical niche that now seems like it was always there, and delivered it with an independent DIY spirit characteristic of the 80’s. A bit like the Wipers writing songs in the style of the Byrds about the death of peace and love (and unsurprisingly, both bands are touchstones for Saloman). Rave-ups, folk songs, psychedelic freak outs, 60’s inspired pop gems all coexist side by side and offer some of the depth and contrast of the greatest records of the 60’s and of all time. Saloman makes exactly the sort of dynamic cross generational records that he would want to hear himself and on his terms only. Lo and behold, lots of other people also want to hear them too.
For our upcoming Tedrock Fund concert, Saloman will be joined by his longtime bass player, Ade Shaw, a pioneering space rock bass player and a rock legend in his own right as well: Shaw played with Hawkwind in the 70’s and was invited to join T. Rex just before he passed. And by New England drummer extraordinaire, Joe Propatier (Scarce, Reindeer). This show will be opened up by a Bevis Frond fan extraordinaire, Mary Lou Lord, who will do an acoustic set. We at Tedrock are extremely pleased to present one of Ted’s all-time favorite artists, and ours too.
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